Wire bonding on conventional semiconductor headers normally consists of bonding a wire on a bond pad on the semiconductor device and to a lead frame finger or a bond pad on the header. The bond pad on the semiconductor device and the bond area on the header are usually on about the same level, and the bond head of the bonder does not have to avoid any raised portions of the header. With the advent of pin grid array packages, some packages have the semiconductor bar on the same side of the package as that of the pins. This presents a problem with conventional type bond heads in that the package pins interfere with the bond head in bonding the bond wire from the bond pad on the semiconductor bar to a bond pad on the package.
Another problem in using pin grid array packages with conventional bonders is that the wire clamp must be such that it does not interfere with the bond process. The wire clamp must be small and placed such that it does not engage a pin on the package during bonding.